


Avatar Niella Book Four: Complications

by SeaSpectre160



Series: Avatar Niella [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Next Avatar, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-16
Updated: 2010-10-15
Packaged: 2018-02-13 15:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2156463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaSpectre160/pseuds/SeaSpectre160
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Complications arise as a friend betrays them, and a forbidden romance takes a VERY dramatic turn.</p><p>
  <img/>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Big Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M ALIIIIIIIIIIVE! Over a year overdue, but I finally have this up! Brace yourselves for the most suspenseful edition of the Avatar Niella series. Just a reminder, there are now 5 books. I KNOW I said it would have the proper number, but this story is long enough without trying to resolve ALL the conflicts. And just to make things harder for myself, I threw in another Complication (hence, the title of this fic). Read on to find out!
> 
> Brownies go out to all my reviewers: LorneStar, Terra Young, me, Renohan, punkyvb, Mr. Wiggles Critic, and Ryan Lohner. I luv u all!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar. As usual, I own Niella, Tae Xing, Quin, Kichona, Kanna, Yue, Ryuu, Shui, Lie, and Ming.

The sun tinted the dark grey clouds blood-red as it ominously rose slowly above the horizon. The glare shone into Suki's violet-blue eyes while she worked. The chains were heavy, and they clanged together noisily with every movement she made. Dozens of others worked alongside her, slaving away to build the large flagship for the 'glorious one', since the old one had been damaged at Kyoshi. She was lucky Azula hadn't come by to see the project yet. If the deranged ex-princess were to recognise Suki, it would be over. She had no idea where Ty Lee was; the new prisoners had been randomly separated into the nighttime and daytime crews. She hoped Ty Lee's group hadn't been seen by Azula, either – her longtime friend and fellow Kyoshi Warrior would be doomed.

A few of the prisoners who'd been incarcerated for a longer time had been put in charge of supervision. They patrolled the sheltered crater of a work yard with whips. Some refused to hit anyone unless directly ordered to, but most had no mercy. Those ones weren't even prisoners, but volunteers, people who'd been giving the new world peace a hard time ever since Zuko had been crowned Fire Lord. All day, Suki and her crew worked from dawn to dusk, getting two small meals a day, if they were lucky, and sleeping all crammed together in a pit when it was time to switch with the night shift workers.

A little girl, who couldn't have been more than three years old, stumbled nearby and dropped the heavy hammer she'd been carrying. The closest guard raised his whip, ready to strike her, but Suki stood in between them. "She's just a child!" she insisted.

The guard shoved her back. You'll get five lashes, too!" Judging from the cold gleam in his eyes, he was one of the few who'd actually _volunteered_ to serve Azula.

Suki stood her ground, though. "I'll take all _ten_ of them!" she boldly declared, "So long as she doesn't get any." Some of the other workers paused in their labour to watch the showdown.

The man rolled his eyes. "How noble. All right, then. If that's the way you want it." He leered at the child. "Get back to work! All of you!" The other prisoners immediately went back to their tasks. The girl whimpered, got up, picked up her hammer, and scampered off. "You two!" the guard barked at two of the others, who seemed to be trying – and failing – to blend into the background, "Hold this prisoner!" They reluctantly came over, each grabbing one of Suki's arms. She hoped it'd be quick, but this brute apparently had other ideas. He struck violently hard and dragged out the time between lashes, making the punishment last as long as cruelly possible. At last, the tenth and final blow was dealt, and she was shoved back to her work area.

For the rest of the day until sundown, Suki had to work with her injuries paining her. She would have to ask for help from that fellow prisoner, a retired doctor. He'd managed to take care of a few others, in spite having almost no available materials.

That night, while Suki was trying to get to sleep, the little girl from that morning crawled up to her. She had wide hazel eyes and long, tangled black hair. "Why'd ya do that?" she whispered.

"Do what?"

"Why'd ya help me? Nobody else does."

Suki smiled. "I didn't want to see a pretty little girl like you get hurt."

The child just stared at her, pouting a bit. "But I'm a _big_ girl. Daddy said so."

"Okay, I didn't want to see a _big_ girl like you get hurt. What's your name?"

"Mmm... Mommy said no talkin' to strangers."

"Well, your Mommy sounds like a very smart lady. My name's Suki. I'm from Kyoshi Island. There, I'm not a stranger anymore, am I?"

The girl smiled a tiny bit and shook her head from side to side. "No, not no more. My name's Kichona."

"Are you here alone, Kichona?"

"Mmm-hmm. Lotsa scary men came to my house. They hurted Mommy an' Gramma an' Grampa. Then they took me 'way, an' I dunno where Daddy an' Unca Quin are."

"Then you can sleep here with me. I don't want you to be lonely." Kichona snuggled up next to Suki and quickly fell asleep. The Kyoshi Warrior looked down at her and thought fondly of her own daughters, Yue and Kanna. She hoped to see them again.

* * *

Ba Sing Se was only one more day's sail away. Tae Xing thought it would make her happy, but for some reason, she didn't feel all that eager to go home. After all, what was there to go back to? Fine silks, jewellery, a father who possibly didn't care about her, a man she didn't even know but would have to spend the rest of her life with – if you could call that a life – and no friends. How could she even call that home? Niella and Quin and their friends were all she had now, and her little brother Fu Kun. He was the only thing she was looking forward to seeing. She'd never treated him the way a sister should. Now that she'd finally realised her error, she could start making up for it.

Quin suddenly appeared next to her, as usual, at her spot looking over the rail of the _Hakoda_. Tae Xing still wasn't completely sure of whether or not she enjoyed his presence. She wanted him with all of her heart, she knew that, but how could she remain close to him when she was engaged to him, even to some stranger? "We're almost there," he mumbled, "Ba Sing Se. So that's your home, huh?"

"You guess?"

"My younger brother is the only thing there worth going back to. After all this time, I've realised that I don't _need_ any fancy dresses, or servants waiting on me. So much has happened, and I don't think things will ever be the same for me. _I'm_ not the same."

"Wow. I had no idea it was that bad for you."

"Neither did I, until recently. I was so confused when I first started living among regular people. I didn't get how they could stand living without all the luxuries I grew up. Now I don't even _want_ all that stuff. It's just a reminder of how I used to depend on material possessions to be happy. I was so ignorant and selfish, and I don't want that being shoved in my face for the rest of my life!" Quin put his arms around her, and she moved away. "Quin, I'm _engaged_. As much as I want to be with you, I can't!" When his eyes widened in shock, she realised she'd let it slip out – she _did_ love him. She'd been trying to convince him otherwise, so that he might move on, but now he knew. So that meant that it probably wouldn't make a difference if she finally did what she'd been dying to do for a long time.

Without another word, she leaned forward and planted her lips on his. Quin grunted in surprise, but seemed pleased. "Umm... I _really_ have no idea what's going on now," he stated when they parted.

"I love you. I really do. But there's no getting out of this stupid arranged marriage."

"Can't you just tell your dad you don't want to go through with it?"

"Like he'd even listen to me. I have no say in it at all."

He hugged her tightly as a sudden wave of tears emerged from her eyes. Her body jerked violently with every sob. She hated the future her father had planned out for her. She couldn't stand the thought of being with anyone but Quin. Her life would pretty much end once she got back to Ba Sing Se, but it had really only just begun. It just wasn't right!

The ship lurched suddenly, then stopped moving forward altogether. Tae Xing wiped her eyes and reluctantly separated herself from Quin. The two of them hurried around to the other side of the deck. They'd dropped anchor right by a small coastal village. Tae Xing hadn't noticed it before, since it was on the left side – Niella had called it 'port' – and she'd been looking out to the right, or 'starboard'. Sokka and the other two warriors on board, Ryuu and Shui, were preparing to lower a lifeboat.

"What's going on?" Quin asked.

"We just need to get a few things before we continue on to Ba Sing Se," Niella replied as she emerged from below deck. She swung herself into the skiff, with Sokka, Katara, Ryuu, and Shui behind her. "It'll only take about an hour."

"Can you two watch the ship while we're gone?" Sokka asked, "This port is pretty safe, but you can't be too careful." Tae Xing and Quin nodded, and soon they were all alone. After a short moment of awkward silence, they went down below deck to the cabin Tae Xing shared with Katara and Niella, and sat together on her hammock.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked her.

She sighed. "I don't know. This is just crazy. Once I get home, I'll have to marry that guy and probably move to Omashu. And the worst part is that I might never see you again." Again she started sobbing, seeking shelter in his arms.

He gently cupped her chin with one hand and turned her head so that they were face-to-face. "I won't let that happen. Even if this whole marriage thing goes down, I'll always be with you."

Tae Xing gave him another kiss, but this time, she wasn't going to stop anytime soon. She loved him more than everything in the world. She never wanted to leave his side. She felt him undoing the belt of her dress, but Tae Xing didn't do anything. She wanted him, and since they only had one day left together, she was going to have him while she could.

* * *

The ship was a perfect target, just sitting there in the harbour with no one guarding it. Jin couldn't believe what she was about to do. Her hand was shaking so hard, it was a miracle she was still holding the flaming torch. Then again, maybe 'miracle' wasn't the right word. The term 'grave misfortune' would fit much better.

If she'd had any other choice at all – _any_ other choice – she would've taken it. But she had to go through this, or Azula would kill her baby. Xuan Ya was only nearing his fifth birthday. The very idea of losing him brought her to tears, so she pushed the thought out of her mind so that she could focus on the heartbreaking task at hand: destroying the _Hakoda_.

She was in a small boat with a few of Azula's Waterbending soldiers. One of them, Lie, was in his mid-forties and had a wife and three children on the line. The other one, Ming, was only eleven, the only surviving member of her family, besides her little brother. Their assignment was simple: set fire to the ship and get out of there. Don't linger, and don't even _think_ about chickening out, or your loved ones will pay.

Now it was time to do the deed. The Waterbenders slowly brought the boat to a stop on the starboard side of the ship, with the vessel between them and the shore so that they wouldn't be spotted. A large basin of pitch mixed with water sat in the bottom of the boat. Lie carefully stood up and began bending it all over the deck, then pulling the water out of it.

Then it was Jin's turn. Whispering a tearful "I'm sorry", she tossed the torch onto the deck, watching it erupt into flames as they sped away.

* * *

It was the roar of the flames that told Quin something was wrong. He climbed out of the hammock and grabbed his clothes up off the floor. Tae Xing looked confused. "What _is_ that noise?" she asked, also getting re-dressed, despite the sudden rise in temperature in the cabin.

"I don't know," Quin replied, "I'll go check it out." He finished fixing his shirt and was about to open the door, but pulled back when he smelled smoke, looked down, and saw some rising up from the crack under the door. That could only mean one thing. There was _a lot_ of fire on the other side. "Stay close to me," he told Tae Xing, pulling her towards him.

He shoved the door open, and a huge wall of fire greeted them. The entire hallway was full of flame and smoke. Quin held one arm out in front of him to keep the fire at bay, and the two of them dashed through the corridor, and up to the deck.

Everything was aflame. The deck was coated with some sticky black substance that seemed to be feeding the blaze. There was nowhere else to go – Quin and Tae Xing ran to the rail and jumped over, landing with a great _splash_ in the harbour below.

Tae Xing gasped and started flailing about. "I can't swim!" she cried. Quin fought to keep both their heads above the surface, despite not being a strong swimmer himself.

"Just hang onto me!" he shouted. He could feel his strength giving out. Soon he would sink beneath the waves, dragging the girl he loved with him.

Suddenly, something tugged hard at the back of his neck and lifted the two of them up and out of the water. Quin landed on something hard; it was the bottom of a small boat. Sokka, Katara, Niella, Ryuu, and Shui were all in it with him and Tae Xing.

"Quin! Tae Xing!" Niella cried, bending the harbour water to try and douse the fire, along with her mother. "Are you two okay? What happened?"

Quin sat up, keeping his arms around a shivering Tae Xing. He couldn't tell if she was trembling from cold or fright. It was probably both. "I'm not sure. We were down below deck when we heard the flames. It was too out of control for me to put out, so we jumped." He felt a pang of guilt. "I should've been paying better attention."

"That's not our biggest concern right now," Sokka stated, looking grim, "Now we need to find another way to Ba Sing Se." Quin looked back at the _Hakoda_ , seeing that it now resembled a floating bonfire.

* * *

Tae Xing felt sick to her stomach. She'd spent the better part of the past few months on the sea and had gotten accustomed to the rolling motion of a ship. But the short, jerky movements from sitting on an ostrich horse were different. They'd been delayed almost a week after the _Hakoda_ was burned. Niella and her mother had saved it from total destruction, and repairs had been made, but it would take months to make the ship seaworthy again. At this point, it wasn't even puddle-worthy. So Sokka had rented a few ostrich horses to carry them the rest of the way to Ba Sing Se. Tae Xing just wished it wasn't ostrich horses.

They were about halfway to the city when they stopped for the night and started to have supper, but Tae Xing couldn't eat. She got so nauseous to the point that the very sight and smell of food made her throw up behind a bush.

"Are you _sure_ you're fine?" Niella asked for the third time that day.

Wiping the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, Tae Xing looked up, embarrassed, at her travelling companions. "Yeah. I guess. I've gotten so used to being on a ship, I'm now getting land-sick."

Sokka arched an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," he stated sceptically, "I've been at sea all my life, and that's never happened to me." Niella, Katara, Ryuu, and Shui nodded in agreement. "It's probably something else." Then he went back to his blubbered seal-jerky.

Katara stood up as Tae Xing retched and threw up again. "I can check you over to be sure you're not sick, if that's okay with you." Tae Xing was able to stop long enough to nod before she was forced to bend over again. Katara gently rubbed her back soothingly.

"Ryuu, you should probably get going," Sokka said, still partly engrossed in his food. Ryuu was going to ride on ahead and let Tae Xing's father know that they would be arriving either around noon the next day. The warrior grunted through his jerky and got up, climbing on his ostrich horse and racing off towards the city.

* * *

Tae Xing felt a little uncomfortable as she laid on her mat, stripped down to her underclothes, while Katara prepared to check her over. Sure, she'd shared a cabin with the Water Tribe women, but being so exposed in front of them wasn't something she was used to.

"Now, I just need you to relax," Katara told her gently, "I'm going to have a look at all of your chi flows, starting with your head and working down. Okay?"

Tae Xing gulped and closed her eyes. "Okay." Beside her, Niella squeezed her hand reassuringly. The princess didn't know how it had happened, but somewhere along the way, they'd become like sisters.

She felt a cool sensation on her forehead, Katara's healing water, which moved down her face to her neck, her shoulders, down each of her arms, her chest, and suddenly stopped over her abdomen. Tae Xing felt slightly sick again as Katara moved the water around that area, then pulled away.

She opened her eyes and sat halfway up to see Katara's worried expression. "What is it?" she asked, "Did you find something wrong?"

Katara chewed on her lower lip. "I... I don't know how I can put this any other way, but... Tae Xing, you're pregnant."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BAM! I knew I was starting to make Quin and Tae Xing's situation identical to Sokka and Yue's, but that throws it off course, doesn't it? Update coming August 28th!
> 
> And if you're new to the Avatar Niella series, check out the other three fics!


	2. To do, or not to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, here's chappie numbuh too! Okay, I can't believe I just typed that. Seriously, though, why don't I just delete it? Oh well, I guess it's staying.
> 
> Just to recap for those who might be confused with the second scene, in Part Three: Airbending, Niella learned that she can go to a special area of the Spirit World where bending is possible (I know it's supposed to be impossible in the Spirit World, but we've got people who can chuck fireballs and start earthquakes; I think I can bend the rules a little.)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar. I own Niella, Tae Xing, Quin, Shui, the fat guy and his stinky tortoise-goat, Ryuu, Kichona, and da widdle baby! (can't believe I typed that, either)

Niella gasped as her mother gave her shocking diagnosis. Pregnant? Tae Xing was _pregnant_?!

"How's that possible?!" she blurted.

Mom gave her a look. "Niella, I'm pretty sure we've already had _that_ discussion."

"I didn't mean _that_ , Mom. I meant when, who..." She stared at Tae Xing, who was now sitting up and hugging her knees. "No... Quin? You two..."

Tae Xing sniffed. "Just once. That was why we didn't notice the fire until we were almost trapped inside the cabin. I can't believe this is happening. I mean, it was only once, and what am I going to tell my father? Or my fiancé? Oh God, I can't be pregnant, I just can't be!"

Niella put her arm around the princess. "Okay, just calm down. We'll figure this out. The first thing we should do is tell Quin he's going to be a dad."

"No! He can't find out! Once I get to Ba Sing Se, I'll be married and shipped off to Omashu, and we probably won't even see each other again. He doesn't need to add a baby to his list of problems to deal with!" A few tears fell from her eyes. "I don't know what I'm going to do, but the one thing I _am_ sure of is that I don't need to make Quin's life any more difficult than it already is. I just can't add to his burden."

* * *

Niella took a deep breath, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, before swinging her arms in a circle and unleashing a rather pathetic 'puff' of air. She looked up apologetically at Aang. "Sorry. I'm just a little distracted right now. Things are just getting crazier and crazier."

"Welcome to the world of being the Avatar," he replied light-heartedly, "It happens all the time."

"Well, how about this? Tae Xing and Quin are having a baby, and Tae Xing doesn't want Quin to know about it, and I have no idea what to think of this whole situation!"

Aang blinked once. Twice. "Okay, maybe we should take a break, sit down, and talk about this." He patted a spot on the stone floor of the temple courtyard next to where he was already seated. Niella obligingly sat down beside him. "So, how about we start at the beginning?"

Niella sighed. "Tae Xing was feeling sick, so Mom checked her over, and we found out she's pregnant with Quin's child. And I know she's my friend and all, but I want to do the right thing, and I don't think keeping Quin in the dark is right. I _hate_ secrets. I just don't know what to do... or not do."

Aang rubbed his head. "Well... that's a pretty tough dilemma, but my advice would be to support your friend, whatever her decision. However, you need to trust you own instinct as well. I'm here to teach and guide you, but a lot of this stuff you'll have to figure out on your own."

* * *

Quin felt especially intimidated by the city of Ba Sing Se. Compared to his home, the Southern Water Tribe and Kyoshi Village were pretty impressive, but the walled Earth Kingdom capital was _huge_! The outer wall looked taller than the biggest trees he'd ever seen. He could only imagine how long it'd taken to build, even with Earthbending. And nothing could have prepared him for the sheer amount of people crammed in there. Quin felt slightly claustrophobic as they rode the crowded monorail up to the inner ring. He was squashed in between Shui and some fat man who smelled like a tortoise-goat (he couldn't even _begin_ to describe what his tortoise-goat smelled like).

For some reason, Tae Xing had all but outright refused to sit next to him, or even touch him. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what her problem was. Just last week, she was grabbing him and kissing him and... other assorted actions, but now it was like she didn't want anything to do with him! Jang Tsu had been right; girls _were_ complicated.

The royal palace looked just as imposing as the rest of the city, especially with all the guards stationed around the perimeter. About half a dozen of them surrounded the group protectively as they approached and escorted them inside. A dark-haired uniformed woman met them just inside the doors and dismissed the guards with a wave of her hand. "Glad to see you finally decided to show up," she said, "The Earth King's been going nuts!"

"Sorry, but having one's ship burned tends to slow one down." Sokka replied sarcastically, "Didn't Ryuu get here with my message last night?"

"What message? We haven't heard from you guys since you passed Whale Tail Island!"

"But that was weeks ago! I sent an Earth Kingdom messenger when someone set my ship on fire last week, and another when we decided to head the rest of the way by ostrich-horse, and just yesterday evening, I sent Ryuu on ahead to tell you we'd be stopping for the night! You're telling me you never got _any_ of those?"

The woman shook her head, clearly confused. "No, nothing." She gasped suddenly. "Do you think the Black Phoenix could be interfering with our communications?"

"I can't think of any other explanation," Sokka stated grimly, "It's not like there are any other suspects. The Earth King and the Council of Five should be informed."

"They're all in the throne room right now. Come on, we don't want to keep them waiting much longer."

The seven of them headed down the hallway, which Quin noticed was lit by torches of strange green flames. "Um... who's..." he mumbled to Niella.

"General Toph Bei Fong," the woman replied. Quin was surprised to realise that she'd actually heard him. "I'm Niella's Earthbending master and an old friend of Sokka and Katara."

The Earth King's throne room was so big – was there _anything_ small in this place? – it seemed to take up half the palace. There were three thrones up on a raised platform; two which Quin assumed to belong to Tae Xing and her brother, and a slightly bigger one in the middle occupied by a man that just _had_ to be her father. He was all dressed up in fancy green robes, with greying black hair, a pair of spectacles balancing on his nose, and an angry expression on his face. "Chief Sokka, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded, "I've been waiting for weeks with no news of my daughter! If you were delayed, why did you not notify us?"

"With all due respect, My King," the general interrupted, "he did, apparently, send _three_ messengers. We have no idea what happened to them, since there is no record of them ever reaching the city walls. It's possible they were intercepted by Azula's forces."

The anger in the king's expression quickly vanished, replaced by a more pensive one. "That is true. General Hao." He turned to one of the five old men Quin only just realised were also in the room. "I want you to investigate this immediately. Until we find out where these interceptions are taking place, all messengers must be given protection." The man and his four companions bowed and left the room. "Now, I'd rather not wait any longer. Please have my daughter brought in here right away."

"She's already here," Sokka stated, pointing to Tae Xing, who meekly stepped forward.

The Earth King stared and blinked a few times before a smile of recognition broke out over his face. "Oh, Tae Xing! I'm so glad to see you again! Sorry, I didn't recognise you at first, but-" Before he could finish his sentence, Tae Xing gasped and ran out of the room, sobbing. Quin hesitated only for a second, then followed her, with Niella right on his heels.

* * *

Lunch break came, and Suki accepted her minimal share of soggy rice and lukewarm water. Looking down at Kichona, who'd since become attached to her side, she saw that the little girl wasn't touching her... uh... food. "You have to eat," she advised, "I know it's yucky, but you'll get sick if you don't have anything."

"I don't want it!" Kichona declared loudly, throwing the cracked wooden bowl away. A few other prisoners desperately dove for its contents as they scattered on the ground. "I want Mommy's food! Mommy makes good food! I want Mommy!" She started to cry, and Suki hugged her.

"Suki?" She turned around to see one of the prisoners making his way over.

She gasped as she recognised him "Ryuu! They got you too?"

Ryuu sat next to her, nodding sadly. "Some of Azula's Earthbenders intercepted me while I was delivering a message from Chief Sokka to Ba Sing Se. How long have you been stuck here? We haven't heard anything about you since Kyoshi."

"Maybe a month, I think. I've lost track. They've secretly taken over Chin Village and are sending false messages to keep the rest of the world in the dark about it. Of course, I only know because anyone trying to escape the village ends up either here or dead. We didn't realise it until after we docked, and by then, it was too late. Hahn's dead for sure, and Ty Lee's part of the night shift work crew, so I haven't been able to communicate much with her. All the Waterbenders were killed, but some of the other warriors are around here. What about you?"

Ryuu chewed on his lower lip grimly. "The Earth King requested to have his daughter returned home as soon as possible. So we headed back to Ba Sing Se, but it was too long a journey for one day once we had to go by ostrich-horse after someone damaged the ship, so the chief sent me on ahead to let them know when we'd be arriving... but I never got there." He glanced down at Kichona. "Who's she?"

"This is Kichona. None of her family's here, so I'm looking after her."

Ryuu scrunched up his face in thought. "Kichona, huh? Do you remember Quin, the Fire Nation kid that came with Niella and the princess to the South Pole? Well, he's got a missing niece about her age with the same name!" He bent down so that he was at eye level with Kichona. "Hey," he said softly, "Do you have an uncle named Quin?"

Kichona had stopped crying, but she drew back in fear and hide her face in Suki's side. "It's okay," Suki assured her, "This is my friend Ryuu. He's very nice."

The child peeked out, one big, brown eye at a time, and stared at Ryuu. "You know Unca Quin?" she whispered.

Suki blinked. Ryuu was right! Kichona’s uncle was alive, and they knew where they could find him! Here in this isolated hellhole, that kind of news was almost unheard of. New prisoners were their only connection to what was going on in the outside world, but their information rarely included the fates of specific friends and family members.

* * *

 

"Tae Xing?" Niella called, rapping softly on the heavy wooden door of the princess's bedchamber, "Can I please come in?" Her only response was a muffled sob. She and Quin had been trying for the past ten minutes to get her to open her door, to talk to them, to do _something_ , but were having no such luck. She wasn't responding at all.

Niella's head was pounding. Royal arranged marriages, teenage pregnancies, fathers who didn't recognise their own daughters... She had no idea how she was supposed to deal with all that. Not to mention there _was_ a war going on, and as the Avatar, she obviously had to add that to her list of responsibilities. She didn't know how Aang had managed to fight and win a war while simultaneously handling his own personal crises.

Then there was the stress of being away from home and in constant danger, the pressure of having to master all four elements and save the freaking world! Oh, and add on her worries about Aunt Suki and Ty Lee and how everybody else at home was doing. There was so much constantly on her mind, it was a surprise that her head didn't spontaneously explode!

What made it worse was that she couldn't confide in anyone about it. No one else could possibly understand what she had to deal with, plus Uncle Sokka would just tell her it was technically impossible for a person's head to explode just because of stress overload. Sure, there was Aang, but she couldn't rely on him to solve all her problems for her. So she had to deal with all of this all on her own, which was the biggest issue on her list of problems.

"She still isn't opening up?" Toph's voice startled Niella from behind. The young Avatar whipped around to see her Earthbending teacher standing there, a concerned expression on her face. "Katara told me I should try and talk to the princess. She didn't elaborate, but she did say that Tae Xing's having issues similar to the ones I had with my parents." Niella vaguely remembered Toph mentioning how she'd run away from her overbearing parents at the age of twelve to join Aang, Mom, and Uncle Sokka. The topic hadn't come up much; Toph never liked to talk about her early childhood. But still, it _was_ a connection she could make with Tae Xing, and nothing else was working, anyway.

"Good idea," Niella agreed.

Toph knocked on the door, a little louder than Quin and Niella had. "Princess? It's General Bei Fong. May I please come in?" She tugged on the handle, but it wouldn't open.

"Don't bother," Quin told her, "She's locked herself in."

"Not a problem."

Niella realised what the Earthbending master was about to do. "Stand back," she warned Quin. Toph got into a ready stance, then quickly attacked the door until she'd broken through the metal lock, and walked in. "Metalbending," Niella commented, "Gotta love it."

She was about to enter after the general, but Toph shoved the door shut and Niella could hear a screeching noise that told her the lock had been bended back into place. "Sorry," Toph apologised, "But I think it's better if it's just the two of us for now."

"But-" Quin started to argue.

"No buts. You two should head back to the throne room. They're discussing something you might find interesting."

Niella sighed and headed back down the hallway. She paused after a few steps and glanced back to see that Quin hadn't moved. "Come on," she told him, "There's no arguing with her once she's made up her mind." Quin bowed his head in defeat and, dragging his heels, slowly began to follow her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I noticed that in Part 3, I kind of focused more on Tae Xing and Quin, and not so much on Niella, so I'm trying really hard to shed some light on Niella and the extreme pressures she's going through. I mean, it's a lot of what Aang had to face, all over again!
> 
> Also, when Niella said she didn't know what to do… or not do, I was SO tempted to twist it into a Shakespeare quote: "To do, or not to do, that is the question". I dunno, I think it would be kinda cheesy, but sometimes cheesy's good, right? RIGHT?
> 
> Anyway, check out chapter three two weeks from now, August 11th!
> 
> EDIT 2017/03/21: A link to a sketch of [Tae Xing](http://orig12.deviantart.net/1e0f/f/2015/243/9/3/tae_xing_by_aquawraith-d97x63r.jpg)'s more humble look.
> 
> Lastly, read and review, people! I wanna hear from you!


	3. Love and Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Here's chapter 3! So just as a recap, last chapter Tae Xing learned that she was pregnant, and when they arrived at Ba Sing Se, the Earth King didn't recognize her at first (cuz now she's dressed like a regular Earth Kingdom girl) and she got really upset and ran off to her room.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar. I own Tae Xing, Niella, Quin, Shoei, Ryuu, and Wen Zheng.

Tae Xing kept her eyes glued to the wall as she lay on her bed, curled up in a ball and absentmindedly rubbing her stomach. Her fear had been confirmed: her father didn't really love her, his own daughter. His doting on her throughout her childhood had just been to keep her happy and under his control. No doubt her arranged marriage was only a means to establish better relations with that noble's family. The thought of what he would do with her when he found out she was pregnant...

No. Don't think about that.

There had to be _something_ she could do. She knew the being growing inside her was fragile; it shouldn't be too hard to kill. Then no one would ever know, except for herself, Katara, and Niella. But her heart screamed out against that idea. This child was a part of her, and a part of the man she loved. She couldn't bear the thought of letting any harm come to it, especially by her own hand. There were many things she was confused about, but there was one of which she was absolutely certain: she could not lose her baby.

"Princess?" the sound of a new voice calling out to her brought Tae Xing out of her musings. "It's General Bei Fong. May I please come in?" Tae Xing wondered what she was doing there. She barely knew the general. A loud screeching sound startled her enough to look over her shoulder. The general had somehow forced her way in and was now closing the door behind her. With one hand, she pushed the twisted metal of the lock back into place. Oh, right, Tae Xing remembered, she can bend metal. "Sorry," the woman was saying through the door, "But I think it's better if it's just the two of us for now. No buts. You two should head back to the throne room. They're discussing something you might find interesting."

Tae Xing turned back to the wall as the general moved to face her. She didn't want to talk to this woman; what made her think it was any of her business, anyway? "Go away!" she choked.

"Not likely. I didn't bust my way in here just to be told to leave." Tae Xing felt the mattress sink as the blind master sat down near her feet. "I came in to talk, so let's talk."

Tae Xing refused to acknowledge her presence. She found that people often went away on their own if ignored.

"Okay, I'll start. When I was born, and my parents realised I was blind, they hid me away from the rest of the world. Nobody outside the walls of our estate even knew I existed, and I could barely go anywhere without constant supervision. When I learned how to 'see' with Earthbending, I never told them, because I liked having a secret. Then they found out when Aang, Sokka, and Katara came to visit, and they tried to take away every bit of freedom I had left, saying it was 'for my own good'. At that moment, I decided that I hated them, and ran off to travel with the gang and teach Aang Earthbending. I've only seen them once since then; right after the war ended, I went back home. We had a fight, and they disowned me. You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this, and it's because I want you to know that you're not alone. Some parents just don't love their child the same if the kid doesn't want to obediently fit their standards. Fire Lord Zuko had it even worse with his father, and I know that's how you're feeling about yours."

"How could you possibly know that?" Tae Xing snapped. So much for ignoring the general.

"You got upset and ran off when you realised your own father didn't recognise you. It was sort of a dead giveaway. Look, even if your relationship with your father does go south, you should remember that you can find a new family. I found mine with Aang and the group, and you've got Niella and Quin and the others, too. Just try to keep that in mind."

With those final words, the general stood up and exited the room, closing the door and leaving Tae Xing alone with her thoughts, which were now more confused than ever.

* * *

"What do you mean, Suki's missing?!" When Niella and Quin re-entered the throne room, that was the first thing they heard. Not a very encouraging topic of discussion, but definitely an interesting one.

"Aunt Suki's missing?!" Niella cried in reply, running in.

The Earth King nodded sadly. "We received word a few weeks ago saying that Chief Hahn's ship had docked safely at Chin Village, and we sent a small platoon of Earthbenders to escort them here. However, we haven't heard from them since then. We have no record of the platoon even _reaching_ Chin."

Niella sucked her breath in with a sharp hiss. If the Black Phoenix Society had been intercepting all those messages, that meant they could know everything! Where all the troops were stationed, where certain platoons were heading... the Black Phoenix probably knew that the _Hakoda_ had been anchored at that port. Niella had always suspected that Azula's followers behind the ship fire, but that would explain how they’d found the ship so easily. There were over a hundred ports along the Earth Kingdom coast; the odds of conveniently stumbling onto the one hosting the Southern Water Tribe Chief's flagship were slim to none!

"Well, what do we do about it?" Quin asked.

Uncle Sokka rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We should send another group to Chin. Not too big, that would just be an unnecessary waste of manpower. But not too small, either. We could be up against a high number of enemies, considering that a whole platoon of Earthbenders was possibly overpowered."

The king looked hesitant. "This is true, but I don't think it would be such a good idea to send troops into a situation we know so little about. Are you certain of this?"

"If we don't do something soon, more and more of our men will be captured, and the Black Phoenix will gain the upper hand! That is, assuming they haven't yet. They probably know where every division is, and meanwhile our side can't coordinate properly. Investigating and putting an end to this just may be our only chance of surviving this war, let alone winning."

The king sighed. "I understand. I will assign two battalions to Chin tomorrow. Do you plan on sending any of your men with them?"

"Shui's the only one I've got left; Ryuu's missing and everyone else is at home. We'll all be going. Well, Quin can stay behind if he wants."

"And we can't?" Mom asked indignantly, referring to herself and Niella

"Of course you can. I just know you never would."

"Chief Sokka, you are planning on going as well?" the king questioned, "As leader of the entire Southern Water Tribe, I would think that you would stay where it's safe."

"That's not how it works with our tribe. The chief may be the leader, but that doesn't mean he can sit back and watch while his men do all the fighting. In your case, it's completely understandable; you were never trained as a warrior. But in the Water Tribes, _all_ of our warriors fight to protect our people, regardless of our rank or status. I _will_ be going with my family to find my wife."

* * *

"Tae Xing?" Quin called softly, tapping lightly on the door, "Tae Xing, it's me. I just thought you should know that we'll be heading to Chin Village tomorrow morning. I'll try to come back to see you as soon as I can, though, okay? So..." He sighed. He didn't want to say this. "Goodbye." Quin checked to be sure no one else was around to hear. "I love you."

* * *

Niella glanced back over her shoulder. Ba Sing Se was slowly shrinking into the distance. The Earthbending-powered transport was swiftly taking them to Chin Village. Uncle Sokka, Mom, and Shui were busy discussing strategy with some of the lieutenants, she was restlessly playing with a bit of water, and Quin was at the back, staring sadly at the retreating walled city. Niella knew exactly what – or rather, who – he was thinking of. There was no doubt he wanted to be with Tae Xing. She had to wonder why he even chose to leave. She put away her water and walked over to stand next to him. "You really love her," she stated, "Don't you?"

Quin jumped a little when she spoke. "Yeah," he admitted, resting head on the metal guardrail, "I wish I didn't have to leave her."

"Then why didn't you just stay in Ba Sing Se?"

The Firebender took a long time to answer. "Sitting and waiting won't avenge my family."

Niella frowned. She'd hoped that spending time with Tae Xing had wiped revenge from his mind. The look in his eyes when he talked about it was dark, frightening. He never got like that when Tae Xing was around. Niella had talked to Zuko about it while they were sailing from Kyoshi to the South Pole, and he'd mentioned that Mom had been that way once, when she'd learned how she could find the man that'd murdered Grandmother Kya. Niella just couldn't imagine Mom like that. Of course she'd eventually decided not to take her revenge. It chilled Niella to try and think of how Mom might've been affected, taking a life at the age of fourteen. Quin was only three years older; how would he be changed if he made that decision that Mom didn't? What would happen to his love for Tae Xing?

"You're going to have to decide what's more important to you," she advised Quin, "Love or vengeance. I don't think you can choose both."

* * *

Tae Xing had been curled up in bed for so long, she was starting to feel stiff. Slowly, she stretched her arms and legs and rolled over to her other side.

Quin was gone. Perhaps it was the fact that she was now carrying his child, but she could _feel_ his absence. It was like some other force that was trying to pull her in his direction, as if they were connected by invisible, intangible strings that drew tighter and tighter around her heart as they drew further apart.

The pain from those constricting strings was becoming almost too much to bear. She didn't know how long she would last without the father of her child. Tae Xing had never imagined that true love could be this painful. Somehow, while she'd been trying to resist being drawn in, for fear of the consequences of such an affair, their souls had merged anyway. With him gone, it was like a piece of herself had been taken away. She doubted she would ever possibly feel this way about her future husband.

There was a knock on the door. "Tae Xing." It was her father. "You have a visitor." There was the now-familiar screech of metal as Toph Metalbended the lock open. She'd done the same thing to let the servants bring in Tae Xing's meals for the past twenty-four hours that she'd kept herself locked up in this room. The general had been very understanding about her need for isolation, and had always re-locked the door.

Tae Xing sat up as the door opened and a man in his mid-twenties stepped in, followed by her father. "This is your fiancé, Wen Zheng of Omashu. I believe it's about time you two met, since your wedding date has been set for this winter."

Her heart leapt into her throat. This winter? She'd never imagined that it would be so soon. And of course, by then her condition would be obvious; who knew what would happen? Would they kill her? Her baby? Quin? The very thought terrified her.

Wen Zheng must've noticed her fear, because he moved a few steps closer to her bed, looking concerned. Her father, on the other hand, smiled obliviously. "I'll leave you two to get to know each other better." And with that, he left, closing the doors behind him.

Tae Xing said nothing. She merely stared at her bedspread and traced the intricate stitching with her finger. Her fiancé was the first to speak. "It's very nice to finally meet you," he said, "I suppose we should... talk about something? I mean, if we're going to wind up getting married, we should at least know a little bit more about each other." Tae Xing could hear him shuffling nervously on the balls of his feet.

The awkward silence returned, and she didn't care. Wen Zheng seemed nice enough, but she knew she could never love him. Not the way she loved Quin. Even if he was kind to her, living with him would be pure agony.

Wen Zheng let out a huge sigh. "I'm just going to be honest with you here," he admitted, "I'm sort of in love with someone else."

This confession brought Tae Xing up short.

"We've known each other since childhood, and I just came to love her. I completely understand it if you're mad at me for it, but this is only the first time I've met you, and I just find it's hard to really love someone you don't even know."

"It's okay," Tae Xing told him, "I understand it better than you think. I've met the man who's perfect for me, but because of our engagement, I can't have him." A small tear ran down her cheek. "I suppose this marriage is ruining both of our lives. If only it didn't have to be this way."

"Who says it does?" Tae Xing looked up, confused. "The only reason I didn't take off with my girlfriend is that I thought it would be unfair to you. But if neither of us wants to get married, then we could just cancel it, call the whole thing off."

Tae Xing huffed and flopped back down on her bed. "That sounds great in theory, but it's not like our families are going to take 'no' for an answer. They decided to marry us off without asking what we want. Why should our opinions matter now?"

Wen Zheng shrugged. "So if they disagree with us, we just don't show up. We _can_ make our own decisions now, you know, whether they like it or not."

She considered his words thoughtfully. Could she really just refuse to get married? She doubted that was possible as long as she lived in her father's palace. So then, she'd just have to change that. But how could she escape, with all those guards keeping watch? She'd need help. Someone who had connections, but also someone she could trust...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now things are really starting to develop. Coming up next, the big fight for control of Chin Village starts, Quin has to make a choice, and in the final chapter… AVATAR STATE! So start looking for it on the 25th of September, though I might not be able to get it up by then. I've gotta rewrite the entire Avatar State scene.


	4. Making a Stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, only one more chapter to go, hopefully coming in a few days! I gotta admit, this story hasn't been getting as much attention as parts 1-3, but that's okay. So long as I have some readers, I'm happy.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own ATLA or any of its characters. I own Wen Zheng, Tae Xing, Quin, Fu Kun, Niella, Shui, Bo Don, Ryuu, and Quin's family.

Toph was a little surprised when Wen Zheng told her the princess wanted to speak to her in private. She didn't think Tae Xing had even listened to her yesterday.

So she was confused as she slipped through the double doors to 'see' the princess standing and facing her instead of lying curled up in a ball on the bed. "You wanted to see me?"

"I need you to help me get to Chin Village."

Toph blinked. So far, nothing about this conversation was going as expected. "What?"

"I want to go with Quin and Niella to Chin Village. I can't stay cooped up here waiting to get married to a guy my father picked out for me! I need to get out!"

Toph understood immediately. Katara had been right when she'd said they had some things in common. Her job would be on the line if she helped Tae Xing escape, but running away with Team Avatar had been the best thing that'd ever happened to her. She couldn't deny this girl that same freedom; her conscience simply wouldn't allow it.

"All right then, when do you want to leave?"

For the first time in... ever, Toph felt the princess relax as she never had before. "I knew you were the only one I could trust," she said, "And I want to leave as soon as possible, or we won't catch up with him – I mean, them!"

Toph nodded in agreement. "Okay. The best time would be at night. I'll tell your father you just want to go for an evening walk, then we'll make a break for it." Suddenly, she felt movement from the room across the hall, the one belonging to Prince Fu Kun. The sixteen-year-old stepped out, yawning. The prince was always known for sleeping in late. He stopped when he saw Toph standing there.

"What's going on?" he asked somewhat suspiciously.

"Fu Kun." Tae Xing hesitated for a moment, then rushed out to hug her brother.

"Hey!" he cried out in surprise, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I just missed you. While I was gone, I realised I never treated you like a big sister should, and I'm so sorry."

Fu Kun separated from his sister, a look of bewilderment on his face. "...Okay... But I heard you guys talking about leaving again. What's up with that? Why would leave right after you just got back?"

"The old me would've been glad to stay here. But I've changed so much, and I've fallen in love. I just can't go back to my old life. Just please, don't tell our father. He can't know until I'm long gone. Promise you won't say a word to him?"

Fu Kun was thinking about it. Then he shrugged. "Okay. You can do whatever you think you have to do. Marry your true love or whatever, give me a brother. Just don't drag me into it, okay?"

Tae Xing hugged him again. "Thank you, thank you so much. I love you, little brother."

The prince again pulled himself away. "All right, now you're just creeping me out."

* * *

Niella kept a worried eye on Quin as he stared moodily into the flames of campfire. They'd been travelling all day, and had finally stopped for the night.

"So we've got about half a day of travelling from here," Uncle Sokka explained, tracing his finger along a map spread out in front of him while simultaneously munching on a possum-chicken wing. "By then, we'll be a mile or so away from Chin Village. That should be far enough for us to take a cautious approach into the town. We don't know what we'll be facing there, so we'd better get a good night's sleep and keep on alert for anything tomorrow." He polished off his wing and tossed the bone into the flames before stretching out on his sleeping bag.

Niella laid down as well, but she wasn't sleepy in the least. She stared up at the starry night sky, her many thoughts on tomorrow chasing each other through her head. There were so many possibilities on how things could unfold. Perhaps Aunt Suki, Ty Lee, and the others were perfectly fine, and all the frantic planning had been for nothing. On the other hand, it could be that Azula had taken over completely, and they were all dead. Just considering that possibility, Niella knew that she would not get a good night's sleep tonight. Already she was dreading the nightmares.

What if it came to a fight? Her Earthbending and Firebending still needed work, and she was just a beginner at Airbending! Everyone else now knew about the lessons Aang was giving her while she slept. At first, Niella had been afraid that nobody would believe her, but they'd accepted it rather well. Even Uncle Sokka, who usually wanted a logical and rational explanation for everything, was completely understanding. He said that it was 'Avatar/Spirit World' stuff, so logic didn't apply and he was cool with that, as long as no one tried to drag him into it.

All in all, Niella had no idea how she was going to win the war. She just wasn't ready.

* * *

Tae Xing rubbed her eyes for the hundredth time that morning. Her nervousness and morning sickness had kept her up all night long, and now she could barely stay awake as Toph propelled their little earth platform forward. Hopefully, the others weren't too far up ahead, even with a day's head start.

At the same time, she felt extremely relieved. For one thing, she was free of the palace and her arranged marriage. Wen Zheng had stopped them long enough to say goodbye and wish them good luck, and she'd returned that wish. Tae Xing hoped he'd be able to have a happy life with his true love; he definitely deserved it. The other reason for her relief was the fact that with every passing second, she was drawing closer and closer to her soulmate, Quin. The constricting strings relaxed as the distance between them shortened.

Suddenly, Toph stopped. "What's wrong?" Tae Xing demanded.

"Someone's coming." Tae Xing looked around in all directions, but saw no one. "Underneath the ground. They're Earthbenders, and they're coming at us from all sides."

All at once, a whole group of men wearing the dark red armour of the Black Phoenix Society burst from the ground. Toph reacted immediately and bent several earth pillars – one for each attacker – to intercept them in mid-air. This did little to slow the Earthbenders down; they simply knocked the obstacles away as if they were but a mere annoyance.

"Hang on!" Tae Xing barely had time to register what was happening, before their platform shot forward, crashing right through the remains of one pillar. They rocketed on, occasionally swerving to avoid the boulders being fired on them. "You wanna go back?" Toph asked, her voice raised to be heard over the crashes.

Tae Xing didn't even pause to consider; she didn't have to. "No!" she responded vehemently, "I'm _not_ going back to that place!" She'd already taken the leap of faith and decided to leave; there was no way she was going to turn back now. She was going to keep on going until she was reunited with Quin.

* * *

Niella tensed up as they approached the outskirts of Chin Village. Her water cask was open, ready for her to bend its contents. On her left, Mom was doing the same thing, Uncle Sokka had his hand closed around the handle of his machete, and Shui's fingers hovered over the secret pocket where his trusty whalebone dagger was stored. To her other side, Quin had both his fists curled up, ready to Firebend at a moment's notice. Up ahead was a line of Earthbenders – judging from their lack of shoes – posed in ready stances. Niella had no clue if these guys were on their side or Azula's, and that uncertainty made her _so_ nervous. They could be under attack any second now, or they could not.

Uncle Sokka raised one hand, and their group shuddered to a halt. There was an intense stillness as both sides stared each other down. Then a figure stepped out to the front of the other line. Uncle Sokka gave a sigh of relief. "Stand down," he ordered, "It's Bo Don." Niella relaxed as she recognised the Earth Kingdom soldier.

One of their lieutenants moved forward to whisper to Uncle Sokka: "Bo Don is supposed to be stationed at Ba Sing Se, guarding the palace. He shouldn't be out here."

Bo Don suddenly struck, sending a wave of earth towards Niella and her companions. Two Earthbending soldiers summoned a big wall out of the ground just in time to block the blow.

"ATTACK!" Bo Don and Uncle Sokka shouted at the same time. With a loud cry, both sides charged forward, crashing together in a rumble of some serious Earthbending.

Niella stuck close to Uncle Sokka, Shui, Mom, and Quin, since they were the only non-Earthbenders in the fight. She used Waterbending to knock one enemy soldier back, Earthbending to trip up a second, and Firebending to break through an incoming boulder and stun a third attacker. While fighting, she noticed that Quin seemed to be holding back a little. It took Niella a second to remember that he had once fought under Azula, too. She wondered how many of these men and women were just fighting because their loved ones would be hurt or killed if they refused.

Then she caught sight of Bo Don. He was standing on a nearby rooftop, gazing down at the mayhem below him with an expression of triumph. Enraged, Niella launched herself at him with a combination of Airbending and Earthbending, firing off a volley of flaming blasts. The traitor noticed just in time, and leapt out of the way, running into the village. Niella followed him, dodging his counterattacks while simultaneously going at him with all four elements. Her nightly dream sessions with Aang had certainly improved her Airbending, more than she'd thought, just as the occasional practice matches with Quin had helped her Firebending.

Before she knew it, Niella had pursued Bo Don to the other side of the village – it sure was a small town. He was heading towards a huge crater, but she couldn't see what was inside of it. The traitor stopped all of a sudden, bending a huge, tall barrier around the entire hole. Niella smirked grimly. Like _that_ was going to stop her. She again combined her Earthbending and Airbending to increase her speed, then leapt at the wall, crashing right through it.

What she found on the other side shocked her. People, hundreds of gaunt, ragged-looking people, were slaving at a half-constructed metal ship's hull. They all stopped in their work and stared at her with desperate, haunted eyes. It was a work camp – a prison work camp.

"NIELLA!" The young Avatar snapped her head around to see one of the workers running towards her, followed by two others. Tears of joy sprang to Niella's eyes as she recognised who it was.

"AUNT SUKI!" Forgetting everything else around her, Niella dashed over to her beloved aunt and hugged her tightly. "Oh my Spirits, Aunt Suki, are you okay?"

Before Aunt Suki could reply, a whip cracked close by. Several armoured people – guards, obviously – were running at them, each raising a whip. Aunt Suki faced them. "Enough!" she commanded. When they didn't stop, Niella sent out a gust of wind, knocking them all onto their backs. "We no longer have to be prisoners here!" She gestured to Niella. "The Avatar is here! We can be free!"

At first, nobody responded to her words. Then, another prisoner, whom Niella shockingly identified as Ryuu, charged forward, yelling and swinging a hammer. The guards in his path immediately dove out of the way; one even turned her whip on one of her own companions. Encouraged by this, many other prisoners and guards – or rather, ex-guards now – rose to battle.

A loud _BOOM_ told Niella reinforcements had arrived. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a mass of Earthbenders charging in, with Quin, Uncle Sokka, and Shui among them. Uncle Sokka spotted them and rushed over. "Suki!" he called, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she responded, embracing him as he reached her, "I just knew you guys would find us somehow. We've got to get these people out of here; they're in horrible danger!" Uncle Sokka nodded.

An ear-splitting creaking noise alerted Niella to the fact that the pieces of half-attached metal plating were coming off the skeleton of the ship's hull directly overhead. "Look out!" she shouted. As one of the pieces began to fall, she prepared to create a protective Earthbending dome.

Except somebody else beat her to it.

* * *

Quin was in the middle of throwing fire at a charging guard when he heard the sound of creaking metal. He turned and saw a huge sheet of it falling off the half-completed construction project, about to crush a small group of people that included Chief Sokka and Niella. He heard the Avatar shouting: "Look out!" but he knew they wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time.

Suddenly, an earth spike shot out of the ground, knocking the falling metal to the side while another layer of stone jutted out to cover the would-be victims. Quin was shocked to see General Bei Fong appear.

Then his eye caught of something much more surprising. Running towards him was his beautiful princess. She seemed completely unaware of all the chaos and violence around her; her attention was focused solely on him. Quin could hardly believe his eyes.

But then a flash of blue turned his attention to another figure: a woman in ragtag armour with long, tangled dark hair and a demonic look in her eyes.

Azula. The cold-blooded murderer who'd taken his family from him was standing only ten yards away. Behind her, one of the Earth King's Earthbenders managed to knock her off her feet, only to catch a face-full of angry blue fire. Quin started towards her. This was the perfect opportunity – and perhaps the only one – for him to get his revenge. For Mom, Dad, Liya, Jang Tsu, and Kichona.

But then he heard Tae Xing scream.

She was on the ground as well, with an enemy Earthbender bearing down on her.

Quin felt like he was being torn apart. Kill Azula or save Tae Xing? _"You're going to have to decide what's more important to you, love or vengeance. I don't think you can choose both."_ Niella's words from yesterday came back to him. Quin thought about it for a split second, then made his decision. He launched a blast of fire in his chosen direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what'll it be? Will Quin choose love or vengeance? How can Niella possibly win the war? Why am I asking myself this when I already know the answers? Why am I asking YOU GUYS this when you obviously don't know the answers? What is the point of even asking? Am I going crazy?
> 
> To find out, check out the next and final chapter of Avatar Niella Book Four: Complications!


	5. Into the Avatar State

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, here's the final chapter! Only Book Five is left, although it won't be around for a long time. Sorry.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar. I own Tae Xing, Quin, Niella, Ryuu, Shui, and Kichona.

Tae Xing screamed as the man bore down on her, levitating a boulder over his head. He was going to kill her; she was _so close_ , and she was going to die. She squeezed her eyes shut, steeling herself for the blow, but none came. Instead, she heard the roar of flames and felt a rush of hot air.

Opening her eyes, she saw the Earthbender collapsing, severely burned. His boulder landed harmlessly a foot away from her. "Tae Xing!" Quin was running over. The second he reached her, she grabbed him and hung on for dear life. Tae Xing was filled with a sense of bliss. They were together again. No matter what else was happening, right now, that was all she cared about. She didn't care if someone struck them dead that very moment; they'd be together in the afterlife: her, Quin, and their precious unborn child.

* * *

A shot of fire just barely missed Niella's face as she leaned back to avoid it. For a moment, she wondered if she'd suddenly gone colour-blind; the flames looked like they were blue.

Blue fire... why did that ring a bell? She looked over to see where it'd come from, and saw a woman with long, unkempt, dark brown hair and dented, scratched armour. "So, this is the new Avatar," she growled, "Let's see just how powerful you really are!" She threw another blast of fire, which Niella just barely managed to block with her own flames. Even then, the force of the attack knocked her off-balance. She stumbled a little, catching herself on a rock.

"Niella!" Uncle Sokka shouted, "Watch out! That's Azula!"

Niella gasped. Thinking quickly, she used her Airbending to jump up onto the metal framework. Her heart was going a mile a minute. She'd known she would have to face Zuko's evil sister at some point. But now? She was _not_ ready. What was she going to do?

Azula fired another rocket of blue flame, this one much bigger and more powerful. Niella tried to Airbend it back, but it was too strong. She was pushed off her perch and just barely managed to land on another stable spot.

Then another blast and another jump. Another blast and another jump. Niella could barely think; she was too busy dodging flames again and again. She didn't even have a chance to counterattack; Azula showed no signed of stopping her furious assault. It was the ninth or tenth attack – Niella was losing count – that proved to be too much for her. She couldn't find another safe place to jump. Niella fell and landed hard on the dusty ground. Slowly, she got up, moaning and clutching her aching head.

A sudden _whoosh_ ing noise and a rush of hot air alerted her to the fact that she was surrounded by a wall of blue fire on all sides. Looking up, she realised that Azula had created a tall vortex of fire all around her, and it was swiftly drawing in closer.

Niella panicked. She tried pushing it away with Airbending and Firebending, but she was just too inexperienced. The flames licked at her hands, burning away her favourite pair of gloves and filling her body with pain. She bent her arms, drawing her hands away from the fire, but now she could barely move without getting burned. There was no escape.

A strange feeling came over her. It was too bizarre to put into words. Her limbs began to move on their own, and Niella felt like she was becoming detached from her own body. What was happening?

A loud bellowing behind her made Niella turn around, but her body didn't turn with her, instead redirecting the fire tornado at its creator. She saw Aang coming up, riding on Appa. "Appa!" she cried, rubbing the bison's nose when they reached her. "We're in the Spirit World right now, aren't we? But how can _you_ be here, unless you're..?" She trailed off, realising what his presence here meant.

"Yeah, he passed on a few days ago," Aang stated, "It's alright, the old guy went in his sleep. But right now, we've got a bigger problem."

"Aang, what's going on?" Niella asked.

"You're in the Avatar State."

"The what?"

"The Avatar State. It's a defence mechanism that gives you access to the knowledge of all the past Avatars. But it's difficult to control, and also very dangerous. If you're killed while in the Avatar State, you will never reincarnate, and there won't be another Avatar."

"What?" Niella gasped.

"Be careful, Niella. I nearly lost my own life to Azula while in the Avatar State. It's time for you to go back." He and Appa began to vanish.

"Wait!" Niella called, reaching out to them. She felt herself falling back into her own body. Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, and everything went black.

* * *

Tae Xing watched, horrified, as Niella suddenly slumped over, lifeless. It'd been a scary sight when her friend had suddenly gone all glowy-eyed and started going crazy on Azula. The evil ex-princess had already called a retreat; the battlefield was now devoid of battle.

She saw Katara run over to her daughter, frantic. "Niella!" she cried, "Baby, please wake up!" Tae Xing and Quin got up together and hurried over to stand next to Katara, quickly joined by Sokka, Ryuu, Shui, Suki, and Toph. Niella was lying unconscious in the dirt, her hands and clothes burned and cut up, and her right shoe missing. It was only her chest still rising and sinking that told them she was still alive.

The, slowly, the Avatar's eyes fluttered open. "Wha..." she mumbled, "What happened?"

Everyone around her breathed a sigh of collective relief. Katara gently began to explain it to her, but Tae Xing tuned her out to bury herself in the arms of the man she loved. She was barely even aware of the outside world until a small, warm body barrelled into them. "Unca Quin!"

Tae Xing opened her eyes to see a tiny little girl dressed in rags, grinning broadly, and hugging Quin's leg. "Kichona!" He managed to pick her up and hug her tightly to his chest. Tae Xing felt a smile break out over her face as she watched the joyous reunion.

Looking over, she saw everyone staring at her, silent. "Tae Xing!" Niella gasped, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you back at Ba Sing Se, where it's safe?"

Tae Xing shared a gaze with Quin. "I couldn't be apart from you," she stated, answering Niella's question but directing her response to him, "I asked the general to help me catch up with you guys."

Katara stood up. "Are you sure that was a good idea, Tae Xing?" she asked, "You shouldn't be travelling, considering your current condition."

"Condition?" Quin echoed, "What condition?"

Tae Xing took a deep breath. It was time to come clean. "Quin, there's something I need to tell you," she confessed, "I'm pregnant."

 

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
